"Nothing," Fenton said, smiling wanly up at his youngest son. "I'm a little edgy." Joe's face masked his concern but before he could speak, his father continued. "Perhaps it's time for a vacation."
"It has been awhile since you and mom took a trip," Joe said thoughtfully. "A cruise would be relaxing."
"If only Gertrude were here," Fenton agreed.
"Dad, Frank and I are old enough to take care of ourselves," Joe pointed out. "You and mom let us go places without adult supervision all the time, so why the hang up about leaving us at home?"
"You're right, we do let you go off by yourselves," Fenton concurred. "But when you're at home, your defences aren't as sharp," he explained. "Home is a safe place and you aren't constantly on the lookout for something lethal to crop up."
"Dad," Joe said, shaking his head sadly. "Of course we aren't constantly on our guard here. You're here, most of the time, and we have one of the best private security systems in the country," he pointed out. "We only let our guard down when we know we can." Joe grinned. "Besides, it isn't like we haven't had trouble find us here."
"Exactly!" asserted his father, trying to get back into the conversation but Joe would not allow it.
"We can be extra careful," Joe continued as if his father hadn't spoken. "We'll keep the alarm on when we're at home and stay around town and keep together. Besides, it's Monday. We've got four more days of school this week before we would even get a chance to get involved in anything time consuming. So," Joe concluded, "that's less than forty actual hours you would have to worry about us over the next four days."
"Mmm, he does have a point," Laura said. She had arrived in time to hear Fenton's interjection and Joe's subsequent logic. "Gertrude is due in Saturday afternoon and the boys are almost men," she added, a nostalgic sigh escaping with her words.
"All right," Fenton agreed, standing up. "I'll go see if there are any last minute cancellations."
"For?" Laura asked, lifting an eyebrow in question, a feature which reminded Joe of Frank.
"For anything we can get," Fenton replied, leaving the room.
"You go pack," Joe told his mother.
"But dinner..." she objected.
"I'll fix something while you get ready," Joe told her, heading into the kitchen.
Frank came through the kitchen door as Joe was chopping some peppers. "You're cooking?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow. Joe filled him in on their parents plans. "Joe, about earlier..." Frank began but Joe cut him off.
"I'm sorry," apologized Joe. "I over-reacted."
"But why?" Frank wanted to know.
"Because Callie doesn't have the right to tell me what I should or shouldn't do," Joe said, his eyes reflecting the resentment he still harbored at her interference.
"She was just saying you should have been studying," Frank pointed out.
"What business is it of hers?" demanded Joe.
"She cares about you," Frank stated, frowning.
"She isn't my mother," Joe argued.
"Come on, Joe," Frank said. "I get on to you all of the time about your studying."
"But you're my brother," retorted Joe.
"And she's going to be my wife," Frank ground out. At Joe's stricken look, Frank took a step closer to Joe and put an arm around his shoulders. "That's the problem, isn't it?" he asked.
Joe shrugged, looking dejected. "Joe, she's not replacing you."
"It seems that way," Joe replied softly, laying the knife down, gathering the veggies and putting them into the wok.
"Ah, Joe," Frank pleaded for understanding. "You're my brother and my best friend. That will never change."
"It already has," Joe said sadly, blue eyes meeting brown. "I used to be your partner too."
"Joe, I..." Frank began but Joe shook his head.
"Not now," Joe begged. "Dad really needs a vacation and if he thinks we're having problems, he and mom won't be going."
Realizing Joe was right, Frank took some plates and began setting the table. He didn't want to leave it like this but short of ruining his parent's vacation, what choice did he have? He and Joe were going to have a long, serious heart-to-heart before the night was over, he vowed silently.
Joe sent Frank to fetch their parents when dinner was ready and Fenton told them about their forthcoming trip. "I got tickets to Florida," he said. "We need to leave for the airport by eight. The flight leaves at nine. We'll spend the night at the Sheraton and board our ship for a ten day cruise at ten the next morning."
"You two will have a blast," Frank said, smiling at his parents.
"I wish you boys could go with us," Laura said.
"But we can't," Frank said. "We have to go to school. We can go with you two somewhere over spring break, maybe."
"Camping," Joe put in.
Laura smiled and Fenton grinned. "It's a date," Fenton agreed. They quickly finished dinner then Fenton and Frank ran upstairs to retrieve the luggage while Joe pulled the car from the garage and Laura made a list of of things that had to be done in her absence.
After the boys returned from the airport, Frank volunteered to do the dishes so Joe could do his homework. Joe made a face but duitfully grabbed his backpack and headed upstairs to his room, leaving Frank to check the doors and windows and turn on the alarm.
It was almost eleven when Frank, who had finished the dishes and completed his own homework, entered Joe's bedroom. He didn't want Joe going to bed with the misconception he could be replaced by anyone in any way.
Joe looked up from the book he was reading as Frank entered. "Joe, we need to talk," Frank said, sitting down at the foot of his bed.
"Can't it wait?" asked Joe, holding his book up for Frank to see. "I've got to have this read and a book report done by Thursday."
"The book can wait," Frank told him. "Some things are more important than homework."
Joe lifted a disbelieving eyebrow at this. He never thought those words would come out of his brother's mouth.
"Joe, about Callie," Frank began.
"About Callie," repeated Joe. "Frank, I know you love her and I will always be your brother but once you get married, Callie will be your partner. She's already your best friend."
"That's not true!" denied Frank heatedly.
"When you won the scholarship to Harvard who did you tell first?" Joe asked.
"Callie," Frank answered, his features changing as he began to frown, wondering what Joe was getting at.
"And when you got your SAT scores back, who did you tell first?" Joe queired.
"Callie."
"When you dented Mom's car last month, who did you..." Joe began.
"Callie," Frank answered before he had finished, standing up. "What are you getting at?"
"These are the kind of things you tell your best friend first," Joe said. "Don't get me wrong," he continued, holding up a hand as Frank was about to interrupt. "Since you are going to marry her, you should turn to her first. I can handle that. What I can't stand is her trying to take your place in my life."
"What are you talking about?" demanded Frank, totally confused.
"You're my brother, not Callie," Joe explained. "You have the right to yell at me. But you two aren't even engaged and she's already trying to tell me what I should or shouldn't be doing. Heck, you don't even pick on me as much as she does."
"Joe, she just doesn't want you to have to repeat a course," Frank excused Callie's attitude.
"For crying out loud," Joe complained. "I'm not about to have to repeat history. I do have a C average and I wasn't goofing off this morning either."
"Then what were you doing talking with Jeanine before class instead of studying?" Frank demanded.
"I was...never mind!" Joe ended, deciding that since Frank obvioulsy believed Callie and not him, he wasn't about to explain. "Just go away," Joe ordered, picking up his book and ignoring Frank.
Frank watched Joe silently for a minute then left the room. The next morning when Frank went to awaken Joe for school, he found Joe already gone.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx
Joe arrived at school feeling miserable. He hadn't slept much. Instead, he had replayed the scene in his bedroom with Frank and the one with Vanessa over and over in his mind. No matter how hard he tried to justify his anger, he couldn't. When the first rays of light had crept into his room, he had crawled out of bed and gotten ready for school. Grabbing a pop tart for breakfast, he left for school on his motorbike.
Talking to Frank or Vanessa wasn't going to solve his problem. He had to go to the source...Callie. He would just have to be careful what he said. He parked his bike and headed toward the entrance looking for Callie. Not seeing her, he entered the building. It was possible she hadn't arrived yet, but she was usually early and he was hoping today would be no exception. Inside, he spied her at her locker, unloading her backpack.
"Callie," Joe said, walking up to her. "We need to talk."
"Why, Joe!" she replied, putting a hand to her heart. "This is so sudden," she teased. When his expression remained serious, she nodded, shut her locker and zipped her backpack.
They went into an empty classroom and Joe shut the door behind them. "What did you want to talk about?" Callie asked, leaning against the teacher's desk and looking him in the eyes.
"Us," Joe replied. "More specifically, our, er, evolving relationship."
"Joe," she said warily. "I have a relationship with your brother. Not you."
"Exactly," Joe affirmed. "But you're developing this big sister attitude."
"I am not!" she declared hotly, her eyes flashing. "I...I..." she stopped and gave a self-conscious laugh. "I guess I have at that," she admitted. "No wonder you got mad at me yesterday," she continued. "I've been coming across pretty badly, haven't I?'
"For the most part," agreed Joe. "Look, it's not that I don't appreciate your concern, it's just..."
"Just that it's Frank's job as your big brother to keep an eye on you, not mine," Callie finished for him. "I'm sorry. I just hate to see Frank worry."
"Then don't tell him," Joe said.
"What?" Callie asked, confused.
"Look, I'm not complaining about you thinking about me. Heck, it's nice to have people care about me," he added, running a hand through his blond hair as Frank did so often. "The part I don't like is that instead of coming to me with any problems you have with me, you go directly to Frank."
"I'm sorry," Callie apologized. "I just hate to see Frank worry. I thought if I told him you needed help, he might realize there are other people watching out for you too and he wouldn't have to worry so much."
"I know Frank worries a lot about me," Joe said. "It isn't necessary, but he does it anyway. He always has."
"And he always will," Callie admitted. "No matter what anyone else says or does." She shook her head. "You're right. My telling him isn't helping him, or you, or me. I'm sorry," she said again. "From now on, I promise if I have a problem or concern about you, I will come to you."
"Really?" Joe asked, searching her face.
"Really," she promised, looking sad.
Feeling sorry for her, Joe decided to be honest. "There's another reason I have been so down on your interfering."
"Oh?" she asked warily.
"I'm jealous," he confessed.
"What?" Callie gasped. "How? Why?"
Joe shrugged. "A lot of the things you and Frank do together now, he and I used to do. I felt like you were pushing me out of his life."
"Aw, Joe!" Callie exclaimed. "You should know I would never do that. And if I even tried, Frank would dump me like a piece of hot coal. He loves you."
"I know. He loves you too. You know what this means, don't you?" he asked, a mischievious twinkle in his eye.
"What?" she asked, smiling.
"We are going to have to learn to share," Joe said.
"I'm willing to try," Callie agreed with a laugh.
"Fair enough," Joe said, giving her a hug.
"You know, I love you too," Callie said as the classroom door opened.
"Ditto," replied a smiling Joe as a gasp sounded from the doorway.
